HEIFERS DURING I'UEGNANCV AND SUP.SEOUENTLV lOI 



When the danger is past the food should generous. 

 Growth is yet incomplete, and, because of this, it is 

 especially necessary to feed foods rich in protein. With 

 grass pastures abundant and succulent no other food 

 may be needed. When maintained essentially on dry 

 foods, legumes rank highest among the fodders in pro- 

 viding such food, and clovers rank highest among 

 legumes in all-around adaptability. Wheat bran and 

 oats combined are very suitable as concentrates, with 

 enough corn added to maintain a sufficiency of flesh in 

 the heifers. But the mistake must not be made of giv- 

 ing heifers concentrates to the extent to which they are 

 sometimes given to cows used to such heavy feeding. 

 It is questionable if at any time it will be to the advan- 

 tage of heifers ultimately if they are given more than 

 10 pounds of concentrates daily. 



The time of mating subsequent to the birth of the 

 first calf will depend to some extent on the age at which 

 they have produced their first calf. When the first calf 

 is not produced till the age of, say, 30 to 33 months 

 is reached, which would seem to be early enough for 

 judicious reproduction (see page 90), the heifers, when 

 well sustained, will usualh^ come in heat in from 6 to 

 12 weeks from the time of parturition. It is usually 

 considered unwise to have them served at the first period 

 of heat, as it is likely that it would result in imposing 

 upon them the burden of reproduction again without 

 sufficient period of rest. Usually it is considered prefer- 

 able to have service given at the second period of heat, 

 but something, of course, depends on the distance of the 

 same from the time of parturition. 



When heifers are bred so as to produce their first 

 calf at the age of two years, it is customary to allow 

 several months to elapse before they are bred again, in 

 order to facilitate growth before the burden of reproduc- 

 tion is imposed upon them again. This plan brings with 

 it some hazard of failure to breed, though such hazard 



